Road 2 Openness
Open Science Self AssessmentThe self-assessment helps scientific institutions with their strategic development to support Open Science practices.
What is R20?
In cooperation with three universities, a team of six open science experts developed an assessment tool as part of the “Road2Openness” pilot project. This tools helps to take stock of current open science activities at scientific institutions and supports institutions with recommendations for strategic opening and organisational development in the field of open science.
At a political level, objectives for the strategic opening of scienctific processes are currently being promoted (e.g. UNESCO Recommendations on Open Science, EU Open Science Policy). Scientific organisations adopt strategies on their implementation, in some cases with quantitative targets, for example the proportion of open access publications.
At the same time, systems for benchmarking open access and open science are being set up, e.g. the EU’s Open Science Monitor and Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Open Access Monitor. However, these tools are used for external benchmarking and have not yet contributed to supporting the strategic opening of organisations or organisational development with Open Science.
Our goal
In this way, we want to support scientific institutions in a co-creative process in their strategic development to support Open Science practices and thus scale their societal impact.
Our method
As part of the innOsci Future Lab, the idea of an assessment tool was developed as a prototype in 2020 to take stock of current open science activities at scientific institutions and support them with recommendations for organisational development in the field of open science. Our team continues to develop this prototype and intends to test and put it into practice in a pilot project in cooperation with three universities from September 2021 to April 2022.
You can also find more information on this in the article published in Merton Magazine with our team member Verena Heise, Future Lab Fellow and Road2Openness expert.
Why Open Science?
Open Science means opening up science through transparency in the research process and participation of new actors in research and innovation. This can increase the quality of research results as well as the societal and economic benefits. Overall, this leads to a higher reputation of science and more trust in research results.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Open Science Self-Assessment involve?
Road2Openness initially consists of a questionnaire for self-assessment of the institution’s current state of development. Based on the self-assessment, proposals for further development in all Open Science areas are then presented.
What does open science self-assessment do?
This tool should be used to gain an overview of open science practices in a scientific institution and to obtain recommendations for further development. Open Science is divided into seven different categories: Open Access Research Outputs, Citizen Science, Open Innovation, Open Educational Resources, Research Quality Management, Open Governance, Open Research Assessment.
What does the open science self-assessment not do?
Road2Openness is designed to map internal processes and developments. It is not intended for objective comparison with other institutions or to develop a ranking.
How do I prepare for the Open Science self-assessment?
We would suggest that you download a PDF with the questions before completing the questionnaire. You can then get an idea of what information is required and, if necessary, you can collect the relevant information for your institution. For example, a survey can be conducted at the institution to find out about existing practices, projects, training courses, infrastructure and attitudes towards open science practices and to find internal experts. The mapping could also be used to find out more about users’ needs for internal services. On the website of the Center for Open Science you will find templates for possible surveys.
How long does it take to complete the Open Science self-assessment?
It takes about an hour to answer the questions if you have already looked at the questions beforehand and collected information if necessary. You can then take your time to read through the individual recommendations for further development that you receive based on your answers.
What is the best way to complete the Open Science Self-Assessment?
You do not have to complete the questionnaire on your own. A save function allows you to send a link to the questionnaire with your answers to several people. For example, the different Open Science categories of the questionnaire can be completed by different people.
What do I get in the end?
A PDF is generated as output, which contains a visualisation of the results of the self-assessment and links to recommendations for further development. We would recommend that you do not pass the PDF on within your organization without commenting on it. Instead, you can use the results and visualisations to create a report tailored to your needs.
What happens to the data entered?
No data is collected that enables the scientific institution to be identified (e.g. name of the institution). Data must be stored by the tool for technical reasons. However, the developers have no interest in the data and they are not used in any way. After 90 days, all data entered will be deleted automatically.
About the project
Road2Openness is online
The six of us have been working on Road2Openness for almost a year now. With a well-attended online workshop discussion on April 29, 2022, which was also attended by representatives of the three participating universities Ernst Abbe University Jena, University of...
Workshop discussion
The release of the new assessment tool will take place on April 29, 2022 from 10 - 11-30 a.m. Since September 2021, the "Road2Openness" prototype has been developed by the team in cooperation with three universities - EAH-Jena, RWTH Aachen and the University of...
Selection of universities
Almost 40 universities applied to become pilot partners in the design of the road2openness self-assessment tool. The ten-member jury, consisting of the road2openness team and representatives of the Stifterverband, selected three universities as pilot partners after...
Open Science Self-Assessment
Would you like to find out more about what Open Science means for scientific institutions? Would you like to understand how advanced your institution is in various Open Science areas and where there is potential for further development?
Then we cordially invite you to carry out the Road2Openness Open Science Self-Assessment for your scientific institution.
Newsletter
Contact us
Email: info@road2openness.de